A Lenawee County native was killed when the cargo plane he was piloting crashed Monday night.

According to the Miami Herald, Jason McLaughlin, 35, of Weston, Fla., was killed in the crash of the IBC Airways plane along with the co-pilot, Steven Gullberg of St. Louis. The cause of the crash has not been determined and the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.

Family members said McLaughlin was a graduate of Sand Creek High School. His wife, Katie, is a graduate of Madison High School.

The couple and their son, Jace, 2, moved to Florida so McLaughlin could continue his education and career. Both have family members living in the Lenawee County area. Perry Brown of Manitou Beach, who is married to McLaughlin's sister, said that funeral arrangements are pending.

According to the Miami Herald, the plane had left the Dominican Republic Monday before it crashed at about 8:15 p.m. near the coastal town of Arecibo as it headed toward Puerto Rico's main international airport in San Juan. The FAA said air traffic controllers lost contact with the flight about 25 miles west of San Juan.

IBC Airways provides cargo service and also civilian air service to and from the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. According to family members of both victims, Gullberg and McLaughlin had voiced concerns about maintenance issues with the plane they were flying.

"Jason had called my father-in-law, Duane McLaughlin, a couple of weeks ago complaining about the conditions of the plane," Brown said. "He said he had a problem with the pressurization of the cabin. The plane was 27 years old."

In October 1986, the FAA awarded the plane a certificate of airworthiness that was valid through 2017, according to the Herald. However, the Herald also spoke with a former IBC Airways pilot who said he also was worried about the safety of the planes when he worked for the company. He was quoted as saying the planes were very old and prone to mechanical problems.

———

Correction: This story has been updated to correct Perry Brown's relationship to McLaughlin.